Searching for Calamity

By Linda Jucovy,

Book cover of Searching for Calamity: The Life and Times of Calamity Jane

Book description

“Who in the world would think that Calamity Jane would get to be such a famous person?” one of the pallbearers at her funeral asked an interviewer many years later. It seemed like a reasonable question. Who else has accomplished so little by conventional standards and yet achieved such enduring…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked Searching for Calamity as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The hard-drinking, cigar-smoking, cross-dressing heroine of the American West continues to keep a python grip on the imagination. “I’m a howling coyote from Bitter Creek, the further up you go the worse it gets and I’m from the headwaters,” she used to rap. Calamity fascinates because she is a self-made myth and Linda Jucovy’s biography is an informed and insightful exploration of that myth.   

Want books like Searching for Calamity?

Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Searching for Calamity.

Browse books like Searching for Calamity

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the American West, pioneers, and Wyoming?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about the American West, pioneers, and Wyoming.

The American West Explore 128 books about the American West
Pioneers Explore 75 books about pioneers
Wyoming Explore 43 books about Wyoming